7 Reasons Why We Want to Live at the World's Queerest Comic Con

Flame Con — the world’s largest queer comic convention — first started in New York City four years ago to build community for queer comics and creators, and the queer nerds who love them. Created by Geeks OUT, a nonprofit that organizes events for the queer geek community, Flame Con takes place annually, bringing LGBTQ+ creators of all backgrounds to NYC. I flew out from L.A. to be part of this magical weekend full of fashionable cosplay, blisteringly sexy art and comics, and a wonderfully exuberant celebration of who we are as LGBTQ+ people. While everything at Flame Con is wonderfully queer, here are the seven things that make the event heaven on earth.

The Opening Speech

“We are here, we are queer, and it’s all happening!” Cecil Baldwin, narrator of the extremely popular podcast Welcome to Nightvale proudly stood on the main stage in front of a packed room buzzing with excitement and joy. Baldwin celebrated the diversity of sexualities, gender identities, ethnicities, and nationalities in the room before adding, “You’re not just the future of fandom, you’re the future of the world.” There’s nothing like the electricity in a room of thousands of queer nerds, each excited to meet their favorite creators, make new friends, learn new skills, play games, and shop for merch.

Artists’ Alley

Flame Con is my favorite convention because it’s the one place where everyone in attendance is as big a fan of my friends as I am. That is never more evident than in artist’s alley, where thousands of queer fanbabes spend their dollars on everything from comics to prints to enamel pins — all of it so specifically and wonderfully queer. I’ve been to several comic cons and none of them have as diverse a group of artists as Flame Con does. It’s amazing to see so many happy queer and trans people of color dressed in every piece of queer apparel they own, having the time of their lives, and making a living doing what they love. Whether you’re looking for new, original LGBTQ+ comics and art; or some of the best and hottest fan art of characters from Sailor Moon, Voltron, Steven Universe, and many other of the biggest and gayest properties out there; Flame Con has what you’re looking for.

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is having a huge resurgence — especially among queer nerds — and at Flame Con, the warriors, bards, rogues, and especially the tiefling warlocks were out in full force. Comics creator Carey Pietsch was there selling her number one New York Times Bestselling graphic novel The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins, a collaboration with the McElroy family of their live play D&D podcast of the same name. There was also plenty of The Adventure Zone cosplay, especially of femme and fabulous gay elf wizard, Taako. Not only that, but there was a panel about D&D and queerness moderated by Kate Sheridan, where several queer comics creators spoke about how they were able to explore their queerness through D&D characters before they could ever identify that way in their own lives.

The Panels

Flame Con not only has the best lineup of artists, but also the best panels about queer nerd experiences. On a panel about queer animation, She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson talked about how cartoons are a way for kids to have access to ideas and feelings they might not otherwise understand. “So much of what I want to do is create a safe space for kids to feel scared and sad and see that they can be these new things and do these new things,” said Stevenson. Another panel called How Sailor Moon Made Me Queer had fans erupting in applause and laughter every five minutes. Artist DJ Kirkland talked about growing up as a gay Black boy who was bullied for the same things that make the Sailor Scouts strong, and how he felt strong and magical when he saw these powerful women twirl and sparkle. “I feel so seen on this panel! I feel so connected!” Kirkland said.

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The Cosplay

At Flame Con, people of all ages, sizes, genders, and ethnicities donned amazing cosplay.

I saw dozens of America Chavezes, Crystal Gems, Sailor Scouts, and Links — all of them parading around with joy. As the con is a safer space for LGBTQ+ people to experiment with and express their identities, attendees play with gender to their heart’s desire. There are happy trans people cosplaying as a character of their own gender for the first time, fabulous drag queens towering in eight inch Wonder Woman heels, sexy Marios and Luigis, and so much body confidence you’ll catch some of it yourself.

The Youth!

On the second day of the con, Flame Con held their annual Youth Day, where attendees under the age of 21 can check out the con for free. Kids as young as eight years old perused Artists’ Alley, wide-eyed at just how wonderful the world can be for them as they grow up. It was incredible to see young people embrace their geekiness and their queerness unapologetically. Being a queer kid today can be extremely terrifying, so it’s truly a blessing to have this space where they can feel safe and secure in their present and their future.

The Fans

The real joy of Flame Con comes from the fans. Over 6,000 people came from around the world to spend a weekend surrounded by queer media and queer people. Fans who had never seen themselves represented before were able to talk directly to the creators and artists who helped them feel seen for the first time. Fans who are closeted or who don’t have a queer community in their everyday life were able to spend a weekend being their authentic selves with thousands of friends alongside them.

Flame Con is truly a magical place. It’s said that if you never see someone who looks like you being happy, successful, and loving life, it’s harder to imagine yourself doing all of those things. Flame Con is the solution to that problem for queer nerds everywhere.

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